Numerous tools have been invented to aid in the performance of yard work such as the raking of leaves, twigs, and flower bed clippings as well as spreading mulch. Such yard work typically involves a great deal of bending and straightening by the worker, which can be extremely tiring and can result in back strain. For instance, once the leaves are raked, the worker must bend down to collect and dispose of the leaves. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a tool which allows the user to collect and lift the leaves without bending over.
In the prior art, there have been various proposals for tools which include the capability of removing the leaves from the yard or field. For example, a combination rake and garden implement has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,131 to Ross, the implement having two elongated arms to eliminate the necessity of stooping, the two arms having a rake-like portion attached thereto and being pivotally connected by a pin so as to be movable between an open and closed position. When the implement is in the open position, the implement may be used as a pickup tool. When in the closed position, the elongated arms are positioned in close parallelism with each other, allowing the device to be used as a reversible rake. This implement is limited in its function as a pickup tool in that the teeth of the rake-like portion are narrow and terminate in angularly bent, interleaving free end portions. This structure is not capable of gripping or lifting heavier debris, such as mulch or tree branches.
Another type of leaf and rubbish shovel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,421 to James having two blades, each of which is substantially semi-cylindrical, the blades being hingedly connected with a handle anchored to each at its upper end. A serrated flange is attached to the lower edge of each blade to permit raking. The shovel further includes an extended handle so that an operator's forearm can be used, resulting in increased leverage for lifting heavier objects. Unfortunately, not only is the shovel bulky and heavy, but it is apparent that smaller materials might simply fall right through the opening between the two blades.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,864 to Sample discloses a trash gatherer having two rake-like gathering heads pivotally interconnected to provide a jaw-like action and having a spring to bias the two blade elements in an open position. One of the arm extensions of the tool includes an arm band of a flexible material having Velcro on to the ends for mounting the tool on the user's arm. The other arm extension is shorter with a hand grip to be grasped by the hand of the user. The disadvantage of this tool is the amount of force required to close the tool in order to overcome the biasing force of the spring. Additionally, the tool is cumbersome to put on and take off since the arm band must be fastened about the arm prior to use.
Other lifting tools without pivoting arms have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,250 to Lawrence discloses a tool having two arms, each being hingedly connected to the ends of a cross handle and having rake heads at the unhinged end. Thus, an articulated tool is provided that is useful in gathering and picking up loose materials such as leaves. A tool utilizing a wire mesh to pick up debris is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,716 to Burckhalter. The tool includes two arms which are attached at one end, each arm having a wire mesh at the other end. Unfortunately, the tool is of little use in the lifting of small materials such as sand, gravel or fine mulch.
It can be seen that forementioned tools do not provide the combination of features which permits a user to avoid stooping or bending, while at the same time being versatile enough to gather, lift and transport both light and heavy materials and both large and small items. It is further desirable to provide a tool that is simple in its construction, having few mechanical parts, yet being of durable material. Thus, while the prior art tools are useful in many applications, they do not offer the advantages found in the gathering tool of the present invention.